Summary

The fifteenth chapter describes the Cavalier via Cosimo's most insightful view into the mysterious man's life. It opens with Biagio's explaining that piracy is quite common in Ombrosa's ports because Mohammedan countries feel they are cheated out of certain payments by European countries for things they trade, and so decide to take their repayment piecemeal by stealing it from the ports before it can be delivered. The Cavalier's place in that system is revealed in Cosimo's narration.

Cosimo confides in Biagio, and in several versions to the people of the town, that he frequently sees the Cavalier, normally not social, walking to the ports late at night. There he meets men wearing turbans and talks with them in great detail about the schedules of the boats and what cargo each will be carrying. When he is sure of his half-uncle's status as the most miserable of traitors, he...